


an army of lovers

by darknesshadows (FeatheredShadow)



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Canon Divergence, M/M, POV Outsider, Parabatai Bond
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-05
Updated: 2018-01-05
Packaged: 2019-02-28 19:26:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,437
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13278282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FeatheredShadow/pseuds/darknesshadows
Summary: “Parabatai,” Jace said with unusual gravitas. “A pair of soul-bound warriors. Closer than most and ready to lay down their lives for one another. They are the elite warriors of the Clave, have been forcenturies.”





	an army of lovers

**Author's Note:**

  * For [shirasade](https://archiveofourown.org/users/shirasade/gifts).



> Happy Birthday [shirasade](http://archiveofourown.org/users/shirasade/pseuds/shirasade)! I hope you'll enjoy this little piece <3

The corridors were cold as Clary walked through them in great strides, trying to catch hold of Jace who was already ahead. The morning start was a little too early for her, especially after the emotions of the last few days – since she had learned the truth about who she was – but she wasn’t going to let it get in the way. There were, after all, plenty of things to be done, and it was better not to waste precious hours oversleeping.

Jace looked a little pensive when she finally caught up to him, but slowed down when she reached him, smiling at her in a way that made butterflies flutter in her stomach. She opened her mouth to greet him when Jace hailed a Shadowhunter passing by, a frown on his face.

“Hey, have you seen Alec?”

The Shadowhunter gave him a mocking look, eyebrows raised, before sneering a little.

“What, can’t find your parabatai by yourself, Wayland?”

He faltered a little in front of the dark look Jace gave him.

“Last I saw him, he was walking to the training room. If you haven’t checked it yet, maybe you should go.”

Jace didn’t bother thanking him before walking quickly in the direction of the training room, a thoughtful expression on his face. Clary strained a little to follow his steps, trying to recall the strange word that had been used, as they were walking into the training room.

“What did he call Alec? Is it a title or something?”

“ _Parabatai_ ,” Jace said with unusual gravitas. “A pair of soul-bound warriors. Closer than most and ready to lay down their lives for one another. They are sworn to protect each other, to fight side by side. The runes they draw on each other are stronger and more powerful, and they can draw strength from each other during battle. They are the elite warriors of the Clave, have been for _centuries_. The oldest pairs were of the first generations, those who only had Raziel’s blood running through their veins, and nothing else.”

“So what, are they just some kind of super-soldiers?” Clary asked, a mix of curiosity and derision in her voice.

Jace snorted.

“Of course not. They’re lifelong partners.” He paused for a moment, the weight of his words filling the space between them. “The parabatai bond is the most sacred oath in the Shadow world. _There is no human bond that compares_.”

He looked at Alec, who was drawing runes with thoroughness on his arrows, on the other side of the training room. Gone was Jace’s usual cocky façade, and Clary was so taken aback by the raw emotion on his face that she almost missed his next words.

“ _Our souls are bound as one_ , and he is the better half of mine.”

As on cue, Alec suddenly raised his head and looked at them, one eyebrow quirked. There was a flicker of emotion on his face that Clary couldn’t quite decipher but it made her feel a little uncomfortable – as she usually was in front of the tall, surly Shadowhunter. Jace, on the other hand, was fairly unbothered by the look on his _parabatai_ ’s face – what a strange name it was! – and took her by the arm, leading her away.

“Come on, let’s hit the library, I’ll show you a couple of things.”

Clary could still feel the heat of Alec’s gaze against the back of her head but soon forgot about it, too focused on the warmth of Jace’s hand against her skin and the closeness of their bodies. It would have been hard to focus on a conversation, but Jace was strangely silent as they walked to the library, a thoughtful expression on his face. She had never seen him like that before, and found that she didn’t mind the change. As much as she enjoyed his bravado and cockiness, there was something softer about his silence that she found much endearing. She wasn’t going to call him a knight in shining armor, but it was true she had been drawn to him ever since they had bumped into each other, outside of the _Pandemonium Club_ , and seeing another aspect of Jace’s personality made butterflies fly in her stomach.

The library was a grand, gothic room – as everything else in the Institute – but for once she actually didn’t mind the architecture. It was _fitting_ for the purpose of the room: all huge windows and tall bookshelves, built from a wood so dark it looked almost black. There was a quietness, a peacefulness to the room that almost made her feel at home – for once – and she looked at the figures on the stained-glass windows as Jace led her through the shelves until they reached a little corner, far away from the door. There was a huge table with a few chairs scattered around it, but no one was sitting there, contrary to the tables closer to the huge fireplace.

“Make yourself comfortable,” Jace told her before disappearing between two shelves.

Clary obeyed without complained, a bit surprised at the stuffing of the chair and the velvet that was dressed over it. It was a lot more comfortable than she expected it to be, but she suspected the library was used for studying and researching too – in which case, comfortable chairs were needed.

Curious, she took in her new surroundings, a bit fascinated by the arch of the room. Her fingers itched to draw it – the way wood and stones were almost merging in the darkness, leaving her unable to discern where one stopped and one began. Her thoughts wandered, going back to the concept of _parabatai_. She had been a little surprised when she had heard the word – without understanding it – in the cemetery, but Alec had disappeared and Jace had helped her learn how to handle a Seraph blade, and she had quickly forgotten about it – especially after the time spent with Jace, under his heated gaze. The ride on the flying motocross had been thrilling, and even the sourness radiating in waves from Alec, when they had met up in Hotel DuMort afterwards, hadn’t been enough to diminish the warmth inside her – especially after she had gotten Simon back, although he had quickly left the Institute afterwards.

Now, though, she wasn’t so sure about it anymore.

“Here.”

Jace settling down on a chair next to her, a huge, _old_ book between them, tore her from her thoughts, and she quickly looked at the illumination he was pointing. She couldn’t decipher what was written – it seemed to be Old English, but she had never particularly cared about it, and the Gothic calligraphy wasn’t helping in the slightest.

Two men in armor were standing face to face, arms clasped and what seemed to be a golden circle around them. There was a dark creature at their feet, and she suspected it was supposed to be a demon.

“Twelfth century representation of parabatai in battle,” Jace explained to her in a low voice, the thoughtfulness still present on his face. “It’s one of the oldest representations we have in that library. Oldest documents are with the Silent Brothers or in Idris.”

“When you say _oldest documents_ , you mean…”

“Parchments, wood carving, sculptures… Archeological pieces, you know.” He frowned a little, one finger tracing over the illumination carefully. “There are bas relief in Idris that are twenty-five centuries old. They are supposed to represent the lives of one of the first pairs of parabatai, from their childhood meeting, their training, to the ceremony and then the battles they fought together.”

His face darkened a little and she moved her hand to hold his, but he went to close the book at the same time, ignoring her attempt.

“And their deaths in battle, together.”

“Do parabatai usually die in battle?” Clary asked in a low voice, feeling a little unsettled, uneasy at the shift of atmosphere.

“ _Shadowhunters_ usually die fighting demons, or from the wounds they sustained,” Jace curtly said, walking away to put the book back in place before coming back. “There’s nothing surprising about it. But all records agree to say that one parabatai being killed in battle is distracting enough for the other to risk getting killed too. That’s why they’re supposed to stick together, which is what we usually do. We’re stronger when we fight side by side in any case.”

He moved to leave the little corner and Clary hurried to follow him, fascinated and a little repulsed by the concept. Shadowhunters really had a problem, if they were grooming children to become soldiers and find it _normal_ to die in battle…

“There’s no greater honor than dying in battle,” Jace went on, mirroring her thoughts. “And when parabatai die together… well, the funeral rites take place at the same place, and their ashes are buried together. That way, they stay together in death, like in life.”

Clary hummed noncommittally, finding the whole thing a little morbid, but she didn’t say a word. She wasn’t quite sure what to do with that side of Jace, and she didn’t really like the way he was talking about parabatai – such veneration, for a bond that was all about battles and dying together…

Nevertheless, she put the thought aside as they walked back into the Ops room, where Izzy, Hodge and Alec were waiting for them. All thoughts of battle-bonds fled away from her mind as they focused on a way to find Magnus Bane, the High Warlock of Brooklyn who might precisely have a way to help her get her memories back.

After all, this was what mattered the most. How was she supposed to find her mom otherwise?

Besides, the plan they came up with seemed to be sound. She wasn’t too sure how she felt about going back to the Pandemonium club, especially if she had to borrow Izzy’s clothes again – damn, she wasn’t sure she would ever be _that_ comfortable with her body, and she envied Izzy’s ease a little – but for now, it was her best shot, especially if they had something to get Magnus Bane to talk to them…

It was for the best.

Afterwards, she wasn’t sure if it still was _for the best_ , but it turned out to be an eventful night.

Going back to the club was a mistake, but after that, she had the – rather dubious, in her opinion – privilege to witness parabatai tracking. Clary was certain she didn’t like it – or at least, she didn’t like the way Alec kept looking at Jace, and the way he scorned at her afterwards, but she didn’t let it bother her any further. After all, Jace had obviously done everything _and more_ in his power to help her, while Alec had only been grumpily tagging along. His opinion didn’t matter much, and if she could do without him, she gladly would.

At least the parabatai tracking was useful to find Magnus Bane, and the warlock didn’t seem to mind them barging into his flat, Izzy’s necklace being obviously a huge argument in helping them – well, _her_ , if she was honest.

And it was funny to see him flirt with Alec, the Shadowhunter being rather flustered at Magnus’ show of interest. Her amusement turned sour at the look on Jace’s face – a mixture of annoyance and something else she couldn’t decipher – and she decided to focus on the pentagram she was supposed to draw, to summon the demon who was holding her memories.

It was a little fascinating, watching the magic at work, and she looked with amazement as everyone relinquished a memory of the person they loved the most. It was Alec for Izzy, and Jace for Alec, something that didn’t surprise her – and neither did Alec’s face when the time came for Jace to give up a memory. If parabatai truly bound their souls together – a concept she couldn’t imagine, except maybe with Simon – then it only made sense.

From that point, it was easy for her to regain her memories, and the demon disappeared, leaving them standing in front of the pentagram. Her head was buzzing and she didn’t really pay attention to what was happening – until she saw Jace grab Alec by the wrist, turn him around and kiss him fiercely. It made her stop dead in her tracks, not quite realizing what she had just seen.

“Come on, Clary let’s get you something, you need a drink after that demon,” Izzy was saying, indifferent – and probably used to – the scene that was unfolding behind them.

Clary had a hard time looking away. There was something fierce and powerful in the way the two Shadowhunters were kissing, and it was obvious they were no strangers to it.

Well, it explained a few things, in any case – especially why Alec had been so hostile towards her since her arrival. Nevertheless, it left a bitter aftertaste in her mouth, jealousy and disappointment merged together, and she let herself being led away, trying to ignore the soft whispers that were coming from the other room, while Izzy and Magnus were taking care of her as her memories were trickling back.

The rest of the evening passed in a daze after that and the night wasn’t much better, memories settling back into place in the middle of strange dreams that bordered on nightmares, leaving her unsettled and with frayed nerves when she finally woke up. Her thoughts were buzzing and she needed to talk it out with someone – and what better choice were there than to talk to Jace? He had immediately understood her and her quest to find her mother, right from the beginning, and she knew she could count on him for the next step to take.

She dressed up quickly before stepping out in the corridors. They were mostly empty – the Institute tended to be calm and quiet early in the morning, as she had soon found out – but she still managed to find her way to Jace’s room, with the indications of another Shadowhunter, who had looked at her with a mix of surprise and amusement when she had asked her way.

She knocked on the door, impatiently waiting and eager to see Jace, when the wood panel moved to reveal Alec’s face, hair moist and mussed, a sour look on his face. Her excitement died when she saw his face, displeasure written all over it.

“What do you want, Fray?” he asked in a curt tone, the door half-open between them.

The dim light of the corridor didn’t stop her from noticing he was shirtless, with a bunch of runes on his body, and she briefly wondered if Jace had as many runes, before focusing again on the matter at hand.

“I wanted to see Jace,” she said decisively before trying to step into the room. “Is he around? What are you doing in his room?”

She could hear water running in the background, but Alec wasn’t budging, the sour look in his face worsening – and she realized how poor her choice of words had been.

“For starter, this is _our_ room. Jace is taking a shower. What is so important that you can’t wait five minutes until we meet up for breakfast?” he asked rather harshly, putting a frown on her face.

“I still need to find my mom, now that my memories are back,” Clary answered in the same tone, a bit annoyed that he wasn’t moving – and at herself for putting him in a mood that was worse than usual. “I –”

“And it cannot wait for five more minutes?” Alec interrupted her – rather rudely, in her opinion – before frowning, his eye darkening. “Why are you sticking around our room? Jace told me he explained to you what the parabatai bond is about, yesterday, but I’m not sure you understood it.”

“He told me you were soul-bound warriors, ready to die for each other in battle,” Clary answered, giving him a hard look of her own, cheeks slightly blushing – hell, if it hadn’t been clear from Jace’s little speech, she now understood perfectly well what it entailed. “And –”

“We share the same soul,” Alec interrupted her curtly, looking at her with a strange look on his face. “I’m surprised you don’t get it. I thought mundanes were aware of the concept of _soulmates_.”

Clary’s blush worsened at that, in a mix of embarrassment and annoyance.

“Yes, but it’s a myth – or at least, there are no scientific proofs they exist. _And stop interrupting me, damnit, I know you two are in a relationship!_ ”

Her voice went a little too high to her tastes, but the outburst seemed to do its job, getting the Shadowhunter to finally relent.

“Soulmates exist,” Alec said in a calmer voice, still studying her. “And the parabatai bond is one of the manifestations of it.”

He stepped back a little, gesturing for her to come in, before closing the door and turning towards her, without leaving her the time to take a good look at the room – although she didn’t miss the huge bed that was right in the middle of it, sheets still mussed.

“This,” and he gestured at a rune on his left flank, one she hadn’t seen before, “is our parabatai rune. When a parabatai bond is forged between two persons whose souls fit perfectly well together, it’s the most sacred union that can happen in the Shadow world. Otherwise… well, it has a reputation for not ending well.”

“More sacred than a marriage?” Clary asked with curiosity, surprised by the little snort that came from Alec as he put his shirt on.

“Marriages are political unions, especially between the old families,” Alec answered with a hint of amusement. “It isn’t about souls fitting well together. I mean, sometimes, when people who appreciate each other get married, they end up becoming good teams, but… it’s nothing like the parabatai bond.”

Clary pinched her lips, a bit annoyed at his patronizing tone, but the bathroom door opened at this time and she forgot about his retort. Jace came out, drying his hair with a towel, his jeans worn low on his hips, and her eyes wandered on his body for a couple of seconds, enjoying the view. Jace didn’t seem particularly surprised to see her, greeting her warmly before walking up to Alec.

“Babe,” he said barely loud enough for Clary to hear it before kissing Alec – and patting his butt at the same time – and then whispering something in his ear, the sight forcing her to look away.

Alec seemed to relax a little at Jace’s words and let himself being patted on the back for a couple of seconds before walking towards the closet, shoulders less tense. Jace was still smiling at her warmly and she felt herself relax for the first time since she had entered the room.

“The parabatai bond means a lot to us,” Jace said simply as a shirt was thrown his way, before putting it on him. “And Alec is a little possessive,” he added in a lower voice, winking at her.

His face was serious, despite it, and Clary found herself nodding vigorously.

“I understand,” she said in the same tone. “I didn’t mean to be…”

She hesitated for a moment and Jace squeezed her arm comfortingly.

“It’s okay. The two of you just need to get used to each other.” His voice got more serious as his leather jacket was also sent his way. “Alec is a bit distrustful of strangers –”

“A lot,” Alec cut him, but his words were softened by the look he gave Jace.

“– which is for the best when you’re hunting demons and dealing with people who want you dead, or at least far away, most of the time,” Jace concluded before zipping up his jacket. “All Shadowhunters need to be at least a little distrustful.”

“You’re not,” Clary pointed out as they left the room and walked towards the communal kitchen.

“Alec is enough for the two of us,” Jace explained simply, shoulder bumping against Alec’s. “And besides… I’m one of the greatest Shadowhunters you could find. I know how to handle myself.”

Alec rolled his eyes and Clary chuckled at the sight, amused by his reaction. Jace’s smile grew bigger when he heard her, but the warmth he had for her held nothing to the affection coloring his every gesture towards Alec.

Clary wondered how she had managed to miss it over the past few days – it was so _obvious_.

And she was suddenly glad she had such a pair ready to help her find her mother.


End file.
